A sink of uncertainty
by Late For The Sky
Summary: Man... Judge of all things, feeble earthworm, depository of truth, a sink of uncertainty and error, the glory and the shame of the universe. - Blaise Pascal; Kavanagh!OCTeam fic. written for SGA flashfic with Antiphobia on LJ.


**A/N**: _Written for the sga_flashfic team challenge over on LJ. This was written in collaboration with antiphobia of said site. There are pictures that accompany this story. To see them, look up sga_flashfic and find this story. It's under the same title._

The weather on P9R-498 was slightly rainy, causing the four members of SGA-7 to look up and shiver a bit as they stepped through the 'Gate. Peter Kavanagh, the team's resident scientist, turned up his jacket collar and sighed. The MALP telemetry hadn't indicated rain, but then again, when was the telemetry ever wholly accurate? Peter ran his hand over his head, feeling his hair becoming damp. Fantastic.

Cruz and Danbury immediately took up point and six, respectively, as soon as they started to move, while Burke, as always, stayed close to him. This never changed when they went off-world, something of which Peter was both grateful for and annoyed by; lately, it was starting to happen back on Atlantis as well.

"Alright, Kav, what've we got?" Burke asked, eyes scanning the ridge to the left of the gate where the reports said the village was located.

Peter sighed. "If I've told you once, Burke, I've told you a thousand times: Don't call me 'Kav'." he replied, taking out his Life Signs Detector and switching it on. He'd been lucky that the retrovirus had taken hold; he didn't think that he'd be able to deal with McKay taunting him about it if it hadn't. "Anyways," he continued, focusing on the small screen. "To answer your question, I've got a faint energy signature coming from the hills to our right."

Burke's answer was to laugh; yet another thing that was the norm. He'd continue to call him Kav and Peter would continue to growl and grump about it; But honestly, it was kind of nice. Peter knew that his team - and it was so _weird_ to say that, so surreal - wasn't trying to undermine him, they were just being _friendly_. It was taking some getting used to.

"José," Burke tapped his headset, "scout ahead. Right perimeter. Kav says he's gettin' some readings from the hill. Confirms the facility location, but I just wanna make sure, right?"

"_Cautious, cautious. Yeah. Got it,_ _Sport__._"

Danbury laughed quietly behind them and said, "I swear it's Johan's fault, Sir. She's let him watch that movie twelve times since he's been here."

"We should probably find all the copies and then burn them, then." Peter said idly as he began to head towards the energy signature. "God knows we don't need Cruz spouting inanities during a fire-fight." The low grass brushed wetly against his ankles, soaking his pant legs and making them slap against skin. Wonderful. He'd definitely be taking a long hot shower when he got back to Atlantis, no bones about it.

Cruz disappeared over the ridge of the first hill, sinking out of sight of the others, breath steady over the open lines to keep his hands free while he scouted; no wasted seconds trying to toggle his com if he needed his hands for defending.

Danbury shifted closer to Peter and peered down at the LSD, "Dunno about that Kav, might make them more interesting. Lord knows we need something to focus on rather than the bullets flying past our ears while running for our lives." He shrugged and shared a lopsided grin with Burke. "Though watching you try to con people out of their DVDs for the sole purpose of ridding us of de la Cruz's attempts at American humor might be better entertainment."

Peter smiled faintly. "Who said anything about _conning_ them out of their DVDs?" he replied as he deftly navigated around a dip in the terrain. "It's much more fun to barter, if you do it properly. Anyways, I- Huh." He stopped mid-sentence, blinking at the readout of the LSD. "That's weird."

" 'Weird' as in 'Wraith are going to come down on our heads' or 'weird' as in 'there's a ZPM that the first contact team missed and we'll be rolling in the sexual favors and the good booze when we get home', because I gotta tell you, man, I'm in need of some major love this week."

"_Sarge has not had game since he hit Pegasus." _Cruz snickered into the com.  
_  
_Burke rolled his eyes, "Shut it, Pan de Horno, or I'll switch you out for Corporal Mackenzie." He turned to Peter, "Now what's so weird and should we be freakin' out right about now?"

"Well, now that _that's_ stuck in my brain-" Peter said, rolling his eyes. "But no, there aren't any Wraith, and the reading's not strong enough for a ZPM. It's just that it keeps going through varying cycles of high and low energy wavelengths. I've never really seen anything like it, is all. I'll know more when I see it."

"_Everything is clear, sir. The door is wide open and there does not appear to be anything inside but the usual dead console fare."_

"Alright Cruz. Stay there. We'll be there in two; set up a perimeter, four by two, around the entrance." Burke waved Danbury ahead to take point while he dropped back to cover their six. "What does that mean, exactly?" He asked after he settled into his new position.

"It means exactly what I said: I won't know until I can examine the energy source more closely." Peter said as they walked. "It's like a kid keeps hitting the dimming switch on a light, flicking it up and down." He switched off the LSD, tucking it away safely in a pocket of his tac vest as they reached the small cave where de la Cruz was waiting. "See anything interesting, Cruz?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Anything glowing, by any chance?"

"Not even a little blip of light, Doctor." He answered back primly, teeth overly white behind olive lips. "I could, however, throw glow sticks inside and pretend I see lights. Could make a big spectacle of it if you like?"

"No, but you and Danbury can head in and light the place up for us. The Major said the place had enough juice in it to turn the lights on." Burke turned to Peter for confirmation, "That'd be alright, right, Kav? Think that'd interfere any in those readings?"

Peter snorted. "I think we'll be fine without the glow sticks; thanks, though. And yeah, that'd be fine. The lights don't register that much on the scanner, anyways." He pulled out the LSD again, activating it with a thought. "Makes me wish I had the natural 'Gene sometimes, instead of the retrovirus'd one. It'd make all of this a hell of a lot easier."

Danbury, being the first over the lip of the entrance, activated the lights with a thought and smiled at the simplicity of the conversion of thought to action. It still caused a bit of wonder in his heart at being able to switch things on with his mind. It also reminded him that he'd never really grow up.

"From what Dr. Beckett says, the retrovirus gene is just as good as the natural one, over time. Something about it overwriting the natural DNA with the artificial as it replicates and replenishes stock." Danbury shrugged and edged deeper into the cave. "Your control is getting better, Kav."

"I never would've pegged you for an interest in genetics, Danbury." Peter said, an amused tone in his voice. "And if you mean 'better' as being able to turn on the lights in my room the _first_ time I try, thanks- I think." He focused on the LSD, noting that the energy signal was still oscillating back and forth between high and low frequencies. Hmm. He'd really like to get that back to his lab and look it over with better tools than just the LSD.

Cruz leaned over what the natives had used as an altar at one time, remnants of candles and rotted offerings long turned to dust littering the surface and the space around it. "He is dating one of the duty nurses; he is trying to impress her." He said and got a smack to the back of his head for it. Cruz smiled unrepentantly and stepped around the debris.

"Lights in your room today, the world tomorrow, eh?" Burke chuckled and crowded in behind Peter. "Danbury, check that doorway in the corner; Cruz, guard the entrance." He nodded to Peter. "It's your game now, Kav. Let's track down that weird fluctuation and find something useful to make the parents happy."

"Maybe not the world. I think McKay's angling for _that_ one." Peter shook his head, eyes rolling in a brief display of muted annoyance. It was well known that he held little love for the CSO of the Atlantis Expedition, but that didn't mean that he didn't respect him. He just didn't show it that often- if at all, actually.

"The energy fluctuation is coming from behind that blocked doorway that the natives couldn't get through." he continued on, motioning to the doorway Danbury was standing near. "It's probably keyed to the Ancient Gene."

"One way to find out." Danbury agreed and within seconds, the door was grinding against the gunk built up in the seams. It stopped halfway, slipping its track or something close to it, because it refused to move any further. "Well, that does answer that, then."

Cruz crouched by Danbury's legs and swept his P90's light into the hallway that was revealed beyond the door. The lights inlaid into the walls were flickering slightly. "Whatever is powering this place seems to be either dying or something has damaged the wiring, you think?" He asked as he straightened, turning back to direct the question towards their scientist.

"Could be both." Peter replied, ducking down and peering under the door. "Some of the other 'Gate teams have found sites like this, and Atlantis has its damaged areas. Does it look safe, Cruz, or should we crouch here for a bit longer?"

Cruz shared an amused look with Danbury then smiled slyly at Peter, "Are you, perhaps, volunteering to go in first and find out? It _would_ be nice to hang back and fiddle with Ancient equipment while someone else does the scut work."

"Unfortunately for you, no. _You_ are the ones with the big guns and the training in case of attack. I, on the other hand, have the training to 'fiddle' with the Ancient tech." Peter replied, returning Cruz's sly grin with a terse half-smile of his own. "Why don't we stick to our separate areas of expertise?"

"Well, we _do _try to get you to join in on spar day, Peter." Danbury said affably. "And you have been steadily improving in weapons proficiency." Though he had to agree that it was probably best if their protection didn't fall squarely on the man's shoulders. Peter was getting better, but he wasn't _that_ dependable with his aim.

Burke kicked dirt at the two soldiers by the door. "Quit poking the scientist and go scout the hallway. I want to get in there and see what all the fuss is about. Maybe we'll get lucky and find the Ancients' secret porn studio."

"When we get back to Atlantis, Sarge, we need to find you a girlfriend."

"Get under that door, Marine!" Burke growled, but the sound of Cruz's snickers and Danbury's cackling drowned him out as the two ducked into the opening and started down the hallway.

"And yet again, I _really_ didn't need to hear that." Peter muttered, glaring slightly at Burke. "If I didn't know better, I'd say Marines focus on only three things: shooting, eating, and sex." He followed after Cruz and Danbury, awkwardly going under the half-open door. Sometimes, it didn't pay to be tall. He straightened up after he managed to get through, back cracking slightly as he did so.

"Doesn't every man?" Danbury looked over his shoulder, smiling dirtily. "Except you science types, that is. You don't seem to do anything besides play with crystals and mainline coffee."

"Ah, but you cannot be forgetting 'getting caught ogling Teyla's assets'." Cruz added hastily from further down the corridor. "I hear she has now taken to carrying one of those fighting sticks with her to deliver a swift wallop to ill-mannered men."

"Which is part of the reason I stay away from her, the other being that her teammates would kick the ass of any guy who even _tried_ to go near her in that way." Peter retorted. "And not all of us play with crystals. That's only part of the job. Some of us have different specialties; just ask the entire Natural Sciences department." His footsteps echoed off the stone walls, joining in with the Marines' heavier boot treads.

Their chatter fell away as they continued down the dimly lit corridor; the echo of their boots hitting the solid Ancient flooring was the only noise beyond the rise and fall of their breathing. The lights threatened to wink out every time Cruz or Danbury got too close together, but they only flickered angrily then settled back into the haze of white beckoning them further into the gloom.

The first door they came upon looked to have been damaged by time, if not force; dark, earthy roots grew through the cracks along the top seam of the door, trailing faint dust-laden fingers deep into the mechanics which appeared to prevent the door from moving. They gave it up as lost after a moment or two of sending thoughts of 'Open' at it gained them nothing more than a cloud of earth and a terrible screeching noise.

At the end of the long stretch of hallway stood two large ornate doors, Ancient symbols carved deep into the metallic surface and a bar crossing over both in a universal seal. Burke placed his hand flat against the bar, pressing against it slightly.

"Since when do the Ancients lock up after themselves in Pegasus?"

"Not too often, actually. They designed some of the first automatic doors, after all." Peter replied, stopping next to Burke. "It's rare that there're locks of any kind beyond a simple privacy lock, or a quarantine door. This doesn't look like a quarantine door, so it's probably safe. There's usually a warning nearby. From what I can tell- and these symbols aren't the most legible to begin with- this writing says something about some sort of energy lab or something behind this door-" He gestured at the door to his left. "And..." Peter's voice trailed off as he peered more closely at the second set of symbols. "I'm not sure about this one."

Danbury curled his gloved hand into a fist and rapped his knuckles against the door. "Energy lab...that would be worth checking out, yes? Perhaps that is what is causing those fluctuations you were talking about."

"Well, if those symbols aren't warding us away or proclaiming there's a million Wraith hibernating behind that door, then I suggest we get on with our job and finish investigating this place." Burke tapped the back of Cruz's leg with his boot and nodded towards the door when the man turned to give him a questioning look. "Get the bar and open 'er up."

"Yeah, that'd probably be worth checking out." Peter agreed, stepping away from the doors. "Just imagine the hissy fit McKay would throw if we didn't." He snorted softly, shaking his head. "And I don't think there's going to be many problems with the second door. The Ancient symbol for "Danger" is rather hard to miss, since it tends to be the biggest one of the lot, and that-" He waved his free hand at the largest symbol. "Isn't it."

The bar lifted away easily and was placed against the wall by Danbury while Cruz turned back to urge the door open with his thoughts. At first it didn't do more than send back a mental warning in Ancient that loosely translated to 'Are you sure you wish to enter?'; of course they did, Cruz sent back. The exchange was instantaneous - the door rumbled and shook away the years of disuse and slid into the walls, the space beyond gaping wide, to let them enter.

"By the numbers, guys," Burke cautioned as he shifted the P90 into the defensive position. "You know the drill, Kav. Cannon fodder first." He smiled and followed the other Marines inside the room.

"So what does that make me, then?" Peter asked dryly, absentmindedly brushing a lock of hair out of his face that had escaped from his ponytail. "Since you're so eager to be sacrificing yourselves to whatever may be in the gloom beyond the dread portal."

Without missing a beat, all three soldiers piped up in cheery falsetto voices, "An invaluable brain trust that is essential to the continued survival of the Atlantis expedition and far too important to die in some horrible, disfiguring trap set by the Wraith, Genii, or other psychotic race waiting around the corner, ready to pounce."

"Or," Cruz continued in his regular voice, "the man that still cannot hit the broadside of the proverbial barn when startled or running for our lives."

"I _knew_ those words of McKay's would come back and haunt me one of these days." Peter groaned, eyes shutting briefly in annoyance. "And my aim's getting better. I'm an _electrical engineer_, not a sniper, unlike _some_ people I know." Here he shot a look at the back of Danbury's head, knowing the Marine was one of the best shots on the team, and quite possibly in the entire military contingent.

"Excuses like that will only take you so far these days, Petey." Burke shot back, using Kavanagh's first name in a pettish manner that he knew the man hated. "Be glad we didn't let the demo teams have a hand in training you."

Up ahead, they heard Cruz snort. "I am more afraid of him with a gun than I am with explosives, Sarge. At least we know that Kavanagh will have the good sense to use C-4 in proper manner...and that we can run away."

"Well, _that_ just inspires faith and hope in me for the survival of this team." Peter said sardonically, ignoring Burke's jibe. "All joking aside, though, the energy readings are getting stronger- not that they were that strong to begin with- and are coming from your left, Cruz." He glanced down at the LSD again. "They've stopped going back and forth as much, which is both interesting and reassuring. I doubt it's going to blow up anytime soon."

Dutifully Cruz corrected his heading and moved towards the left to check if anything was lighting up or beeping, while Danbury broadened his grid to compensate for Cruz's new heading.

"It's that doubt that makes me all warm and tingly inside, Kav." Burke said as he came to a stop almost dead center into the new room. "That bank of raised altars looks like they could use your expertise. How about hoppin' to and figuring out what's so interesting about this place?"

"Yes, sir." Peter quipped, throwing off a half-assed salute with his right hand and then making his way over to the indicated consoles, slinging his pack off and retrieving his datapad. After popping off one of the decorative panels, he attached the leads that would allow him to access the information stored within the crystals.

Seriously, if they could back-engineer the technology used to make the data matrix crystals and then somehow find a way to ship the information back to Earth, the realm of computer science would take off in leaps and bounds. Forget about silicon chips and whatnot; if they could use even just a thin sheet of this crystal, it'd make for a much faster and efficient processor.

He made a happy sound as the data flashed across the screen of the datapad, a rare occurrence for the bespectacled scientist- well, outside of the presence of his team, that was.

"Hell of a scientist, but a crappy Marine." Burke muttered to no one in particular, even though it was aimed at Peter. They all knew he didn't mean anything by it; it was just something they all tossed around when they joked about their -as in Atlantis' - scientists playing soldier.

He moved across the room and stopped just to the left of Peter. "That sound means you've found something good, right? So spill already."

Peter didn't look up, the glow from the datapad making slightly eerie highlights on his face. "What it means is that this text here-" He tapped the section of Ancient script on the screen. "Details the experiments of an Ancient named Zinal. From the descriptions, it looks like he was trying to perfect an alternative to Zero-Point Energy, but his experiments were interrupted by the war with the Wraith. It also says something about Rinso, another Ancient, who seemed to be into-" He squinted at the text, muttering softly under his breath. "Something called _imperatore abeoi_, whatever the hell that is."

"It is strange, _el meu amices_, but I feel this place is speaking to me...and it is not saying good things." Cruz shifted his weight, feet braced wide. "Ghosts whisper in my ear when I listen."

"Give over, mate! It can't be all that bad, right?" Danbury craned his head to look around a deteriorated column - nothing but dust awaited him there. "The place gives me the right willies but I'm not hearing anything other than the usual hum we get back home."

Cruz narrowed his eyes, "You have a weak manifestation of the gene. Maybe you do not hear the whispers, but you do feel that it is not all right here."

"It's a freakin' abandoned outpost of the Ancients. Dudes, it's over ten thousand years old. I think it's allowed to be creepy on principle alone." Burke interrupted. "Pull your straps up and pretend you have a pair. Sheesh!"

Peter snickered softly at the Marines' exchange, not quite ignoring the fact that the hum in the back of his head, while similar to the one he got in Atlantis (And hadn't it been a _rush_ when he had realised it was there), was somehow... He wasn't exactly sure how to describe it. Off, maybe? Everything wasn't fully kosher, that was for sure. Mentally shaking himself for letting the probably baseless worries of Cruz get to him, Peter sighed softly. "If you're done posturing, I could use some help. Whoever's closest to the console nearest to the door, would you activate it? I want to check out the flow of energy; see where it's coming from."

Danbury shrugged and ran his hand over the nearest console, thinking _on_ at it. It lit up, and Peter delved into the Ancient code that was scrolling across the screen of his datapad.

After a few minutes, the lights flickered, and then died, the only source of illumination being Peter's datapad. "The hell is going on?" he asked, looking up.

"No idea, Kav." Burke said. "Danbury, did you touch something again?"

"No, sir." Danbury said, his voice coming from the gloom near the door. There was a rustling sound, and then the Brit turned on the flashlight that was attached to his P-90. He shone the light at the consoles, which were stubbornly refusing to light up. Cruz followed his teammate's example and flicked his own flashlight on, panning it around the room.

"How's it going, Doc?" he inquired, gaze fixing on his long-haired teammate.

"Well, beside some residual power in the circuits that I can't access, nothing's "going". The best I can figure is that we overloaded the already near-depleted power source, whatever the hell that was. And-"

Peter was cut off by a screech that echoed in the room, causing the Marines to snap to attention, P-90s pointing at the doorway.

"I _told_ you something was here." Cruz hissed sharply.

"Shut it, Cruz." Burke snapped. "Let's get the hell out of here. I don't want to meet up with whatever the fuck that was."

Peter could tell Burke was worried; the Sergeant tended to swear more heavily when he was stressed. "I second that motion." He agreed, putting his datapad away after making sure all the readings were saved in a file, and then picking himself up from the floor.

"Let's go." Burke said, making his way towards the door. The others followed, Cruz and Danbury watching their sixes while unconsciously herding Peter in the middle. Peter drew his 9-mm Beretta, not particularly enjoying the cold weight of the gun in his hand. He wasn't exactly opposed to the idea of guns; he just preferred not to be the one having to shoot at someone- or something. They were all on high alert, looking for thing that could've possibly made the sound. When they reached the hallway, Peter happened to glance to his left and stopped dead, causing Danbury and Cruz to bump into him.

"God, Kav, don't stop in the middle of the road like that." Danbury growled, but Peter ignored him.

"That door wasn't open earlier." Peter snapped back, gesturing at the other door, which was wide open. Upon closer inspection, it looked like something had pried the two panels apart; long gouges were scored into the decorative facing of the door.

"What could make marks like that?" Danbury breathed, eyes wide.

"How about that?" Burke replied, and the other three men turned around to see their leader training his P90 on something that looked like a reject from a _Creature Feature_ film. It had slavering jowls and wickedly sharp-looking talons that jutted out from massive hand-like paws.

"_Santa Mare de Déu._" Cruz murmured, briefly crossing himself with one hand while the other aimed his gun at the creature. Its wild eyes fixed on the men, and then it started forwards.

"I vote we start backing away slowly." Peter advised, his hands shaking slightly.

"Good plan." Burke said, and waved the others back into the room that the creature had recently vacated, keeping his eyes on the beast in front of them. Danbury slipped into the room, pulling Peter along with him. It wasn't so much a room as a sort of convergence zone for about four or five different hallways. Cruz and Burke joined them soon afterwards, keeping Peter in the middle of their small group.

"You got a map of this place on your LSD, Kav?" Burke asked, keeping a wary eye on the creature, who had stopped in the middle of the room they had just left, sniffing at something on the floor.

"I think so." Peter replied, taking out his LSD and turning it on. He quickly scrolled through a few of the screens, flicking past the records of the readings he had stored there previously. "Got it."

"There a way out?"

"You mean besides that one?"

"Of _course_ he means besides that one, Doc." Cruz growled exasperatedly, not taking his gaze off the creature.

"Sorry. Yes, there's two other exits." Peter turned around, getting his bearings. "We can take the second tunnel to our left or the first to our right. If we split up, we have a better chance of getting away alive."

"True." Danbury said, eyeing the two tunnels in question. "How do you wanna play this, Sarge?"

"You and Cruz take the one to the right; Kav and I will take the one to our left. Keep in radio contact, and only shoot if that..._thing_... attacks, okay? Once you get outside, blow the entrance, and then go around and blow the main entrance. I don't want that thing getting out and hurtin' the locals. Got it?" Burke asked as the creature abandoned whatever it had been sniffing and went to check out the other room. There wasn't any way they were getting past it the way they had come; the long tunnel would only act as a death trap for the four explorers.

"Got it." Danbury and Cruz assured, nodding.

"Stay safe, you guys."

"We'll try."

"You'd better. I don't want to have to explain to Sheppard that you got turned into Purina monster chow on a simple recon mission." Burke told them. "Get moving."

The two Marines headed down their tunnel, becoming quickly lost to sight as they rounded a corner, P90s at the ready. Peter and Burke went down their own tunnel, Peter in front of Burke, since while the Marine didn't exactly like the scientist being on point, it was better than him having to worry about the monster creeping up on them unawares. "Which way?" Burke hissed, keeping his voice down in case there were more of the monster's kind around.

"There's a left about 30 meters ahead we want to take, and then a right after about 200 meters." Peter replied, keeping his voice low as well. He glanced behind them and saw the creature sniffing around the entrances to the tunnels. It seemed to make up its mind, and went into Danbury's and Cruz's tunnel. "Shit." Peter swore, tapping at his radio. "Danbury, Cruz, keep an eye out. That monster-thing just went into your tunnel." He told them, and he could hear Danbury swear softly as Cruz replied.

"_Thanks, Doc. See you topside_."

"You too." Peter said, and then signed off. He exchanged a worried look with Burke as they turned the corner, footsteps echoing off the rocky walls. There was an unfinished look about the tunnel, as if there hadn't been time to refine it before the place had been abandoned.

"Go slow here." Burke cautioned, frowning. "I don't like the look of the ceiling."

Peter glanced up, and saw that there were cracks and tiny fracture lines in the rock above their heads. He holstered his Beretta, flexing his fingers slightly. "Got it."

They continued on, and Peter was just about to consult the LSD again when they heard the far-off chatter of P90s, and an animalistic bellow of rage that soon died off with a sharp, wailing shriek. "Shit!" Burke spat, and then tapped at his radio. "Danbury, Cruz, report!" Silence greeted him, and Burke swore sharply before trying again. "Danbury, Cruz! _Report_, damn it!"

Another short spot of quiet, and then Danbury replied, his voice sounding rather shaky. "_Sorry, Sarge_." He said, breathing heavily. "_The damn son-of-a-bitch wouldn't go down easy. Cruz is injured, but I think we can make it out. I can see a doorway ahead._"

"How bad is Cruz?" Burke pressed, rubbing at his temple with his free hand. Peter didn't envy the headache he probably had; He could feel one of his own forming at the base of his neck. Oh, great. What a perfect time to get one of his famous three-day tension headaches that refused to go away, even with the judicious application of heat packs and the strongest dose of aspirin he could safely take.

"_He got winged on his left calf; it isn't too deep, but there's no telling what that thing had on its claws._" Danbury reported. "_We're coming up on that door; do you still want us to blow the entrances?"_

Burke sighed, running a hand over his face. "Nah." He said after a few minutes. "You sure that thing is dead?"

"_Pretty sure, unless it can get up after having a good amount of rounds being pumped into its head from near point-blank range._" Cruz chimed in, chuckling dryly. They could tell he was in some serious pain; Peter winced at the ragged edge to the Spaniard's voice.

"Good. We'll meet up at the front, understood?" Burke asked, starting to move forwards again. Peter followed after him, the tension in his neck increasing. Damn. This one would be worse than he thought. Danbury and Cruz agreed, and then signed off once more. Peter and Burke picked up the pace, wanting to get out of the tunnels as soon as possible.

Just as they turned a corner, there an ominous rumbling above them, and then the grinding and creaking of rock. "Run!" Peter yelped, catching hold of Burke's wrist and pulling the older man forwards. Burke didn't need to be told twice, and they sprinted down the corridor, chunks of rock falling from the now-unstable ceiling and hitting them as they fell, not caring if the two men were flesh or stone. With an almighty _crash_, the tunnel collapsed behind them, the shockwaves sending them to the ground. Peter was just about to get up when a large chunk of rock came crashing down on his left forearm. He felt something give way, and a white-hot flash of pain rocketed up his arm and into his brain.

With a sharp cry, Peter tried to pull his injured limb towards him, cradling it close to his chest as he closed his eyes against the pain. "Kav?" came Burke's voice. "You okay?"

It took a moment for Peter to realise he'd been spoken to, and then he answered, trying to keep his voice steady. "I'm not sure, Burke. It hurts." He said quietly, which to Burke acted as a warning sign that his scientist was in trouble. Peter rarely spoke quietly, so Burke scrambled up off the floor, ignoring the superficial scratches and cuts he had gotten from the rock fall, and made his way to his teammate's side.

"Lemme see, Kav." He said, kneeling beside the supine scientist. Peter cracked one eye open, and then let Burke examine his arm, unable to bite back the whimper of pain that escaped him when the Sergeant gently palpitated his forearm.

"Definitely broken." Burke declared, sitting back. "Rock probably got it."

"Probably? Try definitely." Peter ground out, blinking against the dust that floated in the air.

"Can you sit up?" Burke asked, wedging a hand under Peter's right shoulder, which was the one resting on the ground. Peter slowly helped Burke get him up into a sitting position, keeping his arm supported with his free one.

"Damn it, I'm not right handed." Peter growled as Burke fished out a packet of painkillers from the small first aid kit all off-world team members kept in their tac vests. Burke handed the pills to Peter, who dry-swallowed them, grimacing slightly as they went down.

"We should get moving." Burke said after a few minutes.

Peter sighed, and then nodded. "Good idea." He braced himself against Burke, and then got to his feet, wobbling slightly.

"Beckett's gonna be pissed that you don't have a sling." Burke noted, and Peter grimaced. "Luckily, I've got something that might work as a temporary one. We don't have time to splint it; I don't exactly have the right know-how to do that, anyways." He pulled out an Ace bandage from his vest and made an improvised sling, helping Peter position his arm so he wouldn't jostle it too much. Both knew that moving the injured limb wasn't the best of ideas, but it had to be done in order for them to move on.

"Let's get out of here." Peter said, feeling the painkillers kick in a bit. "I just hope there isn't a ladder or anything."

"Same here." Burke agreed, and then they set off once more, Peter holding the LSD awkwardly in his right hand.

"The exit should be about twenty meters ahead." He told Burke after a few minutes of walking.

"Yeah, I see it." Burke nodded, shining his flashlight at the wall some 65 or so feet ahead of them. There was a doorway there, the Ancient symbols for "exit" large and plain to see.

"Thank God." Peter muttered, and Burke seconded his sentiment. Once they reached the door, Peter thought _open_ at it, and it moved sluggishly aside, letting in dimmed light. They emerged on the side of the hill, the shape of the 'Gate in the distance blurred from the rain.

"Danbury, Cruz, you guys out yet?" Burke asked, tapping at his radio as they began to round the hill.

"_Yes, sir._" Danbury replied. "_Just tryin' to stay out of the wet as much as possible. I vote we let someone else come back and investigate this place next time_."

"I think we all share your sentiments, Rob." Peter said tiredly.

Danbury chuckled. "_You okay, Kav? You don't usually call us by our first names._"

Peter rolled his eyes. "Thank you, Mr. Kettle. I'll be sure to sock _that_ one away for later perusal. Right now, all I want to do is get back to Atlantis."

"Don't we all." Burke added as they came into view of the entrance to the ruins. Danbury and Cruz were waiting for them under a small overhang, Cruz resting on the ground, his left calf bandaged. Danbury gave them a relieved grin, refusing to temper it even after he saw their injuries.

"Home?" He said, helping Cruz to his feet and supporting him so he could move.

"Home." Burke nodded, and they headed off to the 'Gate, boots squelching in the mud as they went, and causing said substance to splatter and coat their pant legs liberally. Burke dialled the DHD, sent their IDC through, and requested a medical team, since he was the only one with enough mobility to do so at the moment.

They stepped through when they got confirmation that the shield was down, and Peter revelled in the warmth of Atlantis as they stood in the 'Gate room, clothes steaming gently. The medical team came hurrying up, Carson at the lead. "What happened to you four?" the Scot asked, taken aback by the now-dried blood on Burke's and Danbury's bodies, as well as Peter's obviously broken arm and Cruz's injured leg.

"Oh, nothing much." Danbury said, shrugging.

Cruz snorted. "Sure, if you call four-inch long claws 'nothing'."

"Don't forget the rock fall." Peter chimed in.

Carson blinked, bemused. At that moment, McKay appeared up in the Control Room, obviously having heard that the team had returned. "Have fun, Kavanagh?" he called.

The team glanced at each other, and then broke into laughter; real honest-to-God belly laughs. The sound echoed around the 'Gate room, and Sheppard, who had come up behind Rodney, looked confused.

"What's so funny?" he asked, frowning.

"Honestly? I have no idea." Rodney replied, shaking his head.

Down below, Peter wiped tears from his eyes as his laughter wound down into occasional chuckles, his headache entirely forgotten. As they were carted off to the infirmary ("But I don't _need_ to go, Doc." Danbury protested. "None of this blood is mine!" "You're still going, lad." Carson replied, giving no quarter.), the sound of their laughter could still be heard, until the transporter cut it off, leaving just the echoes.


End file.
